Electronic apparatus and display control method

ABSTRACT

An electronic apparatus connectable to another electronic apparatus includes an information acquisition unit that acquires operation screen information to display a shared operation screen shared between the electronic apparatus and the other electronic apparatus from the other electronic apparatus, a shared screen display unit that displays the shared operation screen based on the operation screen information that the information acquisition unit acquired, a job execution unit that executes a job based on input to the shared operation screen, an event detector that detects a predetermined event that occurs during the job execution, a display determination unit that determines whether or not a specific screen including information specific to the electronic apparatus model is displayed in response to the detected predetermined event, and a specific screen display unit that changes the displayed shared operation screen into the specific screen if the display determination unit determines that the specific screen is displayed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation Application of U.S. Application Ser.No. 14/024,910, filed September 12, 2013, which is based on and claimspriority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No.2012-204444, filed on Sep. 18, 2012, No. 2013-142603, filed on Jul. 8,2013, and No. 2013-142610, filed on Jul. 8, 2013. The entire contents ofthe above-identified applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus and displaycontrol method.

Background Art

Recently, in using multiple electronic apparatuses such as MultiFunction Peripherals (MFPs) connected to a network, a technology thatfacilitates using the same operation screen for all MFPs by configuringthe operation screen on one MFP without configuring a special operationscreen on each MFP has been proposed (e.g., JP-2008-283436-A.)

There are various MFP models that differ depending on what functions areinstalled and their configurations. If all MFPs connected to a networkare the same model, it is possible to share the same operation screendescribed above and use the same operation screen on each MFP. However,in case of different models, if error that a toner is not set correctlyoccurs, it is necessary to display an error message that shows a settingposition and setting method for the model (the error message specific tothe model) in order to resolve the error appropriately since the settingposition and setting method of the toner varies among different models.

Therefore, conventionally, it has not been possible to share the sameoperation screen among different models since it is impossible todisplay a screen specific to the model such as an error message if theoperation screen is shared among different models.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an electronic apparatus that includes aninformation acquisition unit that acquires first operation screeninformation that is stored in another electronic apparatus and displaysa shared operation screen that is shared between the electronicapparatus and the other electronic apparatus, a shared screen displayunit that displays the shared operation screen on a display unit basedon the first operation screen information acquired by the informationacquisition unit, a job execution unit that executes a job based oninput to the shared operation screen displayed on the display unit bythe shared screen display unit, an event detector that detects apredetermined event during execution of the job executed by the jobexecution unit, a display determining unit that determines whether ornot to display a specific screen that includes information specific tothe electronic apparatus model when the predetermined event is detectedby the event detector, and a specific screen display unit that displaysthe specific screen switched from the shared operation screen displayedon the display unit if it is determined that the specific screen needsto be displayed by the display determining unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system asan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of anelectronic apparatus used in the network system in FIG. 1 as anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a table stored in the electronicapparatus as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a shared operation screen that theelectronic apparatus can display as an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another shared operation screen thatthe electronic apparatus can display as an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating yet another shared operation screenthat the electronic apparatus can display as an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a table stored in the electronicapparatus as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a model-specific screen that includesinformation specific to an electronic apparatus model as an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another model-specific screen thatincludes information specific to an electronic apparatus model as anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating yet another model-specific screen thatincludes information specific to an electronic apparatus model as anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating yet another model-specific screen thatincludes information specific to an electronic apparatus model as anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating functions in the electronicapparatus as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process that registersoperation screen information as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are sequence diagrams illustrating a process in casean error occurs during a job as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in case ofreceiving a command to stop a job during the job as an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process that acquiresoperation screen information as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of a networksystem as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process thatregisters operation screen information as an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings,specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, thedisclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited tothe specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood thateach specific element includes all technical equivalents that have thesame function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similarresult.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a network systemthat connects multiple electronic apparatuses. A network 10 can be theinternet, a Local Area Network (LAN), or a Wide Area Network (WAN).Communication via the network 10 can be performed by usingcommunications protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol (TCP/IP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) in the case of theinternet.

For example, multiple electronic apparatuses are comprised of threeimage forming apparatuses that execute printing, one Personal Computer(PC), and one shared server 15. It should be noted that electronicapparatuses are not limited to that example. For example, a printer, acopier, a facsimile apparatus, and a MFP can be used as the imageforming apparatus. The shared server 15 stores a table and other data,etc., that MFPs 11, 12, and 13 and a PC 14 can refer to and share, andthe shared server provides the table and other data, etc., in responseto a command to acquire them from the MFPs 11, 12, and 13 and the PC 14.In this embodiment, the three MFPs 11, 12, and 13, the PC 14, and theshared server 15 are the multiple electronic apparatuses.

At least one of the MFPs 11, 12, and 13 is a different MFP model fromthe others. Functions described above are installed in the MFP. Takingprinting function as an example, setting positions and setting methodsof toner and ink, layout of paper feed tray, layout of paper ejectiontray, paper feeding route, printing method, and presence or absence offunctions related to printing are usually different depending on models.Examples of printing methods are electrophotographic method and inkjetmethod. Examples of functions related to printing are color printingfunction, duplex printing function, combined printing function, staplefunction, and punch function. An example of a function that varies fromone model to another other than those related to printing is wirelesscommunications function, etc.

The MFPs 11, 12, and 13 include a printing unit and an image scanningunit to implement the functions described above. The printing unitvaries from one printing method to another. For example, inelectrophotographic method, a photoconductor drum, a charging unit thatcharges the photoconductor drum, a photolithography device that performswriting by illuminating the charged photoconductor drum with laserbeams, a development unit that performs developing by providing toner ona latent image formed on the photoconductor drum by the writing, atransfer unit that transfers the toner image formed by the developmentto paper, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred onthe paper are provided.

The image scanning unit is comprised of a transparent glass plate onwhich an original, etc., to be scanned is put, a light source thatilluminates the original on the glass plate with light, multiplereflecting mirrors that reflect light reflected by the original toarbitrary direction, a lens that collects light from the reflectingmirrors, an photoelectric converter that converts light collected by thelens into an electrical signal, and a sensor board that performsprocesses such as converting the electrical signal as an analog signalinto digital data. Examples of the photoelectric converter are a ChargeCouple Device (CCD) image sensor and a Complementary Metal OxideSemiconductor (CMOS) image sensor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the MFPs 11, 12, and 13 are comprised of a CPU 20that controls the MFPs 11, 12, and 13, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 21 thatstores programs read by the CPU 20, a Random Access Memory (RAM) 22 thatprovides a working area when the CPU 20 performs various processes, aHard Disk Drive (HDD) 23 that stores applications and various data,etc., an input device 24 and a display unit 25 such as an input buttonand a control panel, and a communications I/F 26 that communicates withother MFPs and PCs, etc.

The CPU 20 and other units are connected to a bus 27 and communicatewith each other via the bus 27. In addition to these units describedabove, the MFPs 11, 12, and 13 can include an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC) that performs imaging processes such asshading correction and gamma conversion. It should be noted that only anexample of a hardware configuration is shown in FIG. 2, and theconfiguration is not limited to that.

As shown in FIG. 2, the PC 14 and the shared server 15 also include theCPU 20, the ROM 21, the RAM 22, the HDD 23, the input device 24, thedisplay unit 25, and the communications I/F 26, and those units areconnected with each other via the bus 27. In the case of the PC 14 andthe shared server 15, examples of the input device 24 are a keyboard, amouse, and a microphone, and an example of the display unit 25 is aliquid crystal display. It should be noted that the shared server 15either can include the input device 24 and the display unit 25 or doesnot include the input device 24 and the display unit 25.

In case of performing wireless communication, an access point forwireless communication can be connected to the network 10, and it ispossible to communicate with other electronic apparatuses connected tothe network 10 via the access point.

A user can create a document to be printed on the PC 14, assign aspecific MFP, e.g., the MFP 11, and have the MFP execute printing. Inthat case, the user can have the PC 14 display an operation screen tooperate an application of the MFP 11 on the display unit included in thePC 14. The operation screen is created by the user preliminarily andregistered as operation screen information. The user can acquire theoperation screen information using the PC 14 and have the PC 14 displaythe operation screen based on the acquired operation screen information.

The operation screen can be displayed on not only the display unitincluded in the PC 14 but also a control panel of the MFPs 11, 12, and13 or the display unit of the shared server 15 if the shared server 15includes a display unit. Therefore, the operation screen information canbe shared among apparatuses, i.e., it is shared operation screeninformation.

Examples of the operation screen information are application information(e.g., application name) laid out on the screen, icon information of theapplication (e.g., file name of the icon), coordinate locations on thescreen (e.g., x-axis coordinate and y-axis coordinate), buttons laid outon a configuration screen after choosing an application, coordinatelocations of the buttons, and status information during executing a job.Since these are examples, some of them can be omitted, and otherinformation can also be included.

Each of the MFPs 11, 12, and 13, the PC 14, and the shared server 15 canstore and hold the operation screen information. Otherwise, for example,only the MFP 11 can hold the operation screen information. When theoperation screen is registered, a specific electronic apparatus isassigned, and the operation screen information can be stored in the HDDincluded in the specific electronic apparatus.

The user can register the operation screen information, read theregistered operation screen information, and have the operation screenbe displayed based on the read operation screen information. In thatcase, the user can input a user ID and password to identify the user andhave the process be executed if the user authentication is successful.Therefore, it is possible to register the operation screen informationassociated with the user identification information to identify theuser.

As described above, examples of user identification information are userID and password. Other than that, any information that can identify theuser such as address, telephone number, and credit card number can beused as the user identification information. The user identificationinformation can be registered in an IC card, a mobile phone, and a smartphone. Biometric information such as user's fingerprint and veins canalso be used as the user identification information. In this case, theyare read by a dedicated reader, and authentication is performed bychecking whether or not they match preregistered information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating registered operation screeninformation. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation screen information isregistered as a table associating a user name associated with useridentification information such as user ID with a name of an applicationlaid out on the screen created by the user, a file name of an icon foreach application, their coordinate locations, and last updatedinformation for a home screen as one of the shared operation screens. Inthis case, home screen information for three users is registered.

Since FIG. 3 illustrates an example, it is possible to create tables foreach user instead of creating tables for each screen as shown in FIG. 3.Information to be registered is not limited to those described above,and other information can be registered.

For example, user A registers and updates the home screen as one of theshared operation screens laying out icons for seven applications (copy,document box, fax, printer, scanner, Software Development Kit (SDK), andUniform Resource Locator (URL)) from 1 row 1 column to 2 row 3 columnsequentially among 12 areas divided into 3 rows and 4 columns. In thiscase, a simple system of coordinates from (1, 1) to (2, 3) is used.Otherwise, detailed coordinates in accordance with the number of pixelsof the screen can also be used.

SDK is a tool for developing software and is a collective of libraries,etc. The library is a collective of program codes that implementspecific functions for the tool. The document box is an application thatstores data in the HDD 23 to perform printing and sending later. The URLis an application that notifies the authenticated user of URL where adocument scanned by the scanner is stored.

In case of using the MFP 11 as the electronic apparatus, sharedoperation screens displayed on the control panel based on the operationscreen information are shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6. FIG. 4 is adiagram illustrating a home screen after authenticating a user. In thiscase, there are 99 registered users, and it is the home screen of the99th registered user. The home screen is displayed firstly after a userlogs in. This user registered 11 applications in the registrationprocess of the operation screen information performed preliminarily.Three program names are registered as applications in addition to copy,document box, fax, printer, scanner, 2 SDKs, and URL described above.Each of 2 SDKs has different library sets, and they are tools fordeveloping different applications. Each of three program names is anapplication related to copy, scanner, and fax.

An application that is environmental friendly and performs monochromeprinting, duplex printing, and combined printing automatically, and anapplication that is security oriented and performs printing blotting outclassified parts automatically are considered as examples ofapplications related to copying.

The user chooses an application by touching with the user's finger, andproceeds to the next screen. In case the electronic apparatus is the PC14 or the shared server 15, the user can choose that by using thekeyboard or the mouse.

For example, if the user chooses “copy” in the home screen shown in FIG.4, the screen proceeds to a configuration screen shown in FIG. 5. Theconfiguration screen shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and it is notlimited to that. In FIG. 5, the configuration screen includes settingbuttons such as color selection that selects monochrome or full-color,paper orientation (portrait or landscape), presence or absence of sort,presence or absence of stack, binding directions in case of duplexprinting, presence or absence of combined printing, position setting ofseparation line in combine, presence or absence of staple and itslocation, presence or absence of punch and its location, preview, print,and OK as a print configuration screen. Also, the number of copies canbe set in the configuration screen.

If the user presses the print button down in the configuration screenshown in FIG. 5, a print job starts, and a screen that indicates theexecuting status of the job is displayed as shown in FIG. 6. Sincemonochrome for color, portrait for paper direction, and enabling sortwere selected in the previous configuration screen, the job executingscreen indicates that monochrome and sort is reversed and selected too.Although not shown in the previous configuration screen, “text andphoto” as an original type, duplex printing, and auto-selection forpaper are set.

The configuration screen shown in FIG. 5 can be displayed based on theregistered operation screen information. Therefore, the operation screeninformation can include setting information configured for each user asshown in FIG. 7. The setting information shown in FIG. 7 is a tableassociated with user names.

The setting information includes information such as single side ordouble side of an original is printed on single side or double side ofpaper or combined and printed on single side or double side of paper.Also, the setting information includes scaling factor in case ofenlarging or reducing, the number of originals in case of combinedprinting, presence or absence of sort, staple, and punch, and theirlocations. Furthermore, the setting information includes time and datewhen this information is updated lastly.

In FIG. 5, “2 Sided: Top To Top” means that the MFP prints on one sideof paper, turns the paper 180 degrees from side to side, and prints onthe other side. “2 Sided: Top To Bottom” means that the MFP prints onone side of paper, turns the paper 180 degrees up and down, and printson the other side. A rotate sort function aligns pages and ejectschanging direction for each copy alternately. In combined copying, forexample, “2 in 1” means two originals are printed on one side of paper.

If user A has the MFP 11 display the configuration screen on its controlpanel, regarding document setting and output setting, a setting thatprints one side of an original on both sides of paper turning the paperfrom side to side and a setting that prints both sides of an original onboth sides of paper are shown selectably. Other settings such as asetting that prints one side of an original on one side of a papercombined are displayed in grayscale so that they cannot be selected orare not displayed.

Regarding reduce/enlarge, 50% and 71% are displayed selectably.Regarding sort and stack function, sort, rotate sort, and stack aredisplayed selectably. Regarding staple function, “top left” and “left 2”are displayed selectably. Similarly, regarding these settings, othersettings such as 141% are displayed in grayscale so that they cannot beselected or are not displayed.

In this case, configuration information of print modes is shown as anexample. Similarly, copy modes, fax modes, and scan modes can beregistered as a table associated with user names. Consequently,different modes can be displayed for each user, and that makesconfiguration setting easier.

After finishing a job properly, it is printed and output as configured.However, if some error occurs or printing is stopped by pressing thestop button, etc., an error message is displayed on the screen givingdetails, indicating how to resolve the error, cause of stopping, andresolution. The error message varies depending on the model since theposition of the paper feed tray and its function vary depending bymodel.

Examples of error messages are shown in from FIG. 8 to FIG. 11. In FIG.8, a toner is not set properly, and guidance indicates “toner is not setproperly, so please set the toner properly.” In addition, toner positionspecific to the model is illustrated. In FIG. 9, an error occurs since atoner bottle is not set properly, and guidance that indicates positionwhere the toner bottle is set is illustrated to prompt the user to setthe toner bottle properly.

In FIG. 10, guidance specific to the model that indicates that a printjob is stopped since the stop key is pressed is displayed. In addition,guidance specific to the model that prompts the user to press “StopPrinting” if the user stops the print job, to press “Resume Printing” ifthe user continues printing, and to press “Job List” if the user deletesother jobs is displayed. In FIG. 11, guidance specific to the model thatindicates that the stop key is pressed, asks if the user stops copying,and displays an error number is displayed. In addition, guidance thatprompts the user to press “Resume” if the user continues copying and topress “Stop” if the user stops copying is displayed.

Regarding operation screens such as the home screen shown in FIG. 4, theconfiguration screen shown in FIG. 5, and the executing status screenshown in FIG. 6, the shared operation screens are displayed based on theoperation screen information so that each electronic apparatus in thisembodiment displays the same screens. The configuration screen shown inFIG. 5 can be displayed based on the configuration information describedabove included in the operation screen information. Regarding the errormessages shown in from FIG. 8 to FIG. 11, guidance specific to theelectronic apparatus such as error details, cause of stopping printing,and resolution is displayed. To implement this function, the electronicapparatus includes functional units shown in FIG. 12. The CPU 20 canimplement these functional units by executing a program read from theHDD 23 to the RAM 22 by the CPU 20 included in the electronic apparatus.

That is, the electronic apparatus includes a shared screen display unit30 that displays the shared operation screen based on the operationscreen information stored in one of multiple electronic apparatuses andavailable for the multiple electronic apparatuses, an input receptionunit 31 that accepts input to the displayed shared operation screen, anda job execution unit 32 that executes a job based on the input acceptedby the input reception unit 31. While the input reception unit 31 andthe job execution unit 32 are separate in this case, alternatively aconfiguration is possible in which the job execution unit 32 acceptsinput and executes a job based on the input. Particularly, the jobexecution unit 32 executes printing based on settings configured in theconfiguration screen.

The electronic apparatus includes an event detector 33 that detectsoccurrence of a predetermined event that occurs during execution of thejob. The event detector 33 detects such predetermined events such aserror and stop of a job as described above. Also, the event detector 33can detect release of error. The electronic apparatus further includes adisplay determination unit 34 that determines whether or not a screen(screen specific to model) that includes information specific to theelectronic apparatus model needs to be displayed in case of detectingoccurrence of the predetermined event. The display determination unit 34determines that the screen specific to the electronic apparatus modelneeds to be displayed if the detected predetermined event is occurrenceof error or stop of a job.

The electronic apparatus further includes a specific screen display unit35 that changes the displayed shared operation screen into amodel-specific screen if the display determination unit 34 determinesthat the screen specific to model needs to be displayed. In this case,the specific screen display unit 35 changes the displayed sharedoperation screen that indicates executing status shown in FIG. 6 intothe screen specific to model shown in from FIG. 8 to FIG. 11.

The electronic apparatus further includes an authentication unit 36 thataccepts inputting user identification information and performs userauthentication and an information acquisition unit 37 that acquiresoperation screen information corresponding to the authenticated userfrom at least one of the multiple electronic apparatuses.

The authentication unit 36 stores user IDs associated with passwords aspreregistered user identification information. If the useridentification information is biometric information, the authenticationunit 36 stores the preregistered biometric information. Subsequently,the authentication unit 36 accepts the input user identificationinformation and searches for user identification information thatmatches the input user identification information among useridentification information that the authentication unit 36 storesitself. If there is matching user identification information, that meansthe authentication process is successful, and the informationacquisition unit 37 acquires the operation screen information thatcorresponds to the authenticated user.

In acquiring the operation screen information, the informationacquisition unit 37 can select one or more electronic apparatuses basedon the preset apparatus information. The information acquisition unit 37acquires the operation screen information from the selected electronicapparatus. For example, if the information acquisition unit 37 isconfigured so that it acquires the information from the MFP 11preliminarily, then it acquires the operation screen information fromthe MFP 11. In the case of acquiring the information from multipleelectronic apparatuses, which information is adopted will be describedlater. Apparatus identification information such as apparatus name ofthe electronic apparatus, IP address allocated to the electronicapparatus, and Media Access Control (MAC) address can be used asapparatus information. Instead of selecting by the informationacquisition unit 37, alternatively the electronic apparatus can furtherinclude an operation screen information determining unit 42 thatdetermines which operation screen information stored in an electronicapparatus is used, and consequently the information acquisition unit 37can acquire the determined operation screen information. In this case,the operation screen information determining unit 42 can perform thedetermination based on the preset apparatus information described above.

Any electronic apparatus connected to the network can hold the operationscreen information. For example, self-owned PC 14 and the shared server15 that can share information can hold the operation screen information.The operation screen information is information shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.7 to display the shared operation screen shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, andFIG. 6.

The display determination unit 34 determines whether the sharedoperation screen is displayed or the screen specific to model isdisplayed when the event detector 33 detects occurrence of predeterminedevent. In this case, the display determination unit 34 can refer tocriteria for changing screen stored in a criteria storage unit 41.Consequently, the display determination unit 34 can determine whichscreen is to be displayed referring to the criteria in addition to theevent described above.

For example, if the event is “out of toner” or “out of paper” andspecial guidance as information specific to the model is unnecessary, itis possible to configure that as criteria not to change screens. It isto be noted that the criteria here is merely an example and is notlimited thereto.

The electronic apparatus can further include an information registrationunit 38. After the input reception unit 31 accepts the operation screeninformation and storage destination identification information toidentify at least one electronic apparatus as storage destination, theinformation registration unit 38 stores the operation screen informationin at lease one information storage unit 40 among multiple electronicapparatuses based on the at least one storage destination identificationinformation. Examples of the storage destination identificationinformation are apparatus name, IP address, and MAC address just thesame as the apparatus information described above.

Each electronic apparatus includes the information storage unit 40comprised of the HDD 23 to store the operation screen information andother units. The information registration unit 38 stores the operationscreen information in the information storage unit 40 included in theelectronic apparatus specified by the storage destination identificationinformation. Consequently, if the electronic apparatus that includes theinformation registration unit 38 also includes the information storageunit 40 and the same electronic apparatus is specified as the storagedestination, the operation screen information can be stored in theinformation storage unit 40 included in the same electronic apparatus.

If there is no input on specific storage destination identificationinformation, the information registration unit 38 can store theoperation screen information in all electronic apparatuses connected tothe network 10. While it is sufficient to store the operation screeninformation in one electronic apparatus, the operation screeninformation can be stored in more than two electronic apparatuses asdescribed above since it is impossible to acquire the operation screeninformation in case the electronic apparatus is turned off or is notconnected to the network 10.

The electronic apparatus can further include an information sending unit43 that sends the operation screen information that the electronicapparatus stores itself to another electronic apparatus in response to arequest to acquire the operation screen information from the informationacquisition unit included in the other electronic apparatus.

A display control method executed by the electronic apparatus will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 13 to FIG. 16.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process that registers theoperation screen information for each user. The operation screeninformation can be registered for each user, and each user can have oneshared operation screen be displayed based on the registered operationscreen information.

For example, user A chooses one electronic apparatus, inputs user ID andpassword, and logs in. The input reception unit 31 accepts those inputsand passes them as login information to the authentication unit 36. Theauthentication unit 36 searches for matching user ID and password. Afterreceiving notification of successful authentication from theauthentication unit 36, the input reception unit 31 has a message ofsuccessful authentication displayed and responds to the login. In thiscase, it is possible either to have a template of the shared operationscreen be displayed or to send a request to display and have thetemplate be displayed in response to the request. If the authenticationfails, the input reception unit 31 responds to that by having a messageof failed authentication displayed on the screen.

User A performs inputting on the displayed template of the sharedoperation screen and configures the shared operation screen as theoperation screen information. After accepting the operation screeninformation, the input reception unit 31 passes the operation screeninformation to the information registration unit 38. Subsequently, theinformation registration unit 38 stores the operation screen informationin the specified storage destination based on the storage destinationidentification information accepted with the operation screeninformation. In this case, the storage destination identificationinformation is configured to store apparatus A, B, and C. Apparatus A,B, and C are electronic apparatuses connected to the same network 10.

Firstly, the information registration unit 38 establishes communicationbetween apparatus A and sends the operation screen information and therequest to store to apparatus A. After receiving the request to store,apparatus A stores the received operation screen information associatedwith user identification information to identify user A such as username. Apparatus A stores the operation screen information in theinformation storage unit 40 a that apparatus A includes itself such asthe HDD for example. After finishing storing, apparatus A notifies theinformation registration unit 38 of finishing storing.

Next, the information registration unit 38 establishes communicationwith apparatus B and sends the operation screen information and arequest to store it to apparatus B. After receiving the request tostore, apparatus B stores the received operation screen information inthe information storage unit 40 b that apparatus B includes itselfassociated with user name. After finishing storing, apparatus B notifiesthe information registration unit 38 of finishing storing.

Lastly, the information registration unit 38 establishes communicationwith apparatus C and sends the operation screen information and arequest to store it to apparatus C. After receiving the request tostore, apparatus C stores the received operation screen information inthe information storage unit 40 b that apparatus C includes itselfassociated with user name. After finishing storing, apparatus C notifiesthe information registration unit 38 of finishing storing. Subsequently,the information registration unit 38 notifies the input reception unit31 of finishing storing entirely, and the input reception unit 31 has amessage that registration is finished displayed.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are sequence diagrams illustrating a process in casean error occurs during a job. User A chooses one electronic apparatus,inputs user ID and password, and logs in. The input reception unit 31accepts those inputs and passes them as login information to theauthentication unit 36. The authentication unit 36 searches for matchinguser ID and password. After receiving notification of successfulauthentication from the authentication unit 36, the input reception unit31 has a message of successful authentication displayed and responds tothe login. If the authentication fails, the input reception unit 31responds to that by having a message of failed authentication displayedon the screen.

After receiving the request from the input reception unit 31, the sharedscreen display unit 30 passes login information such as user ID andpassword received from the input reception unit 31 to the informationacquisition unit 37. The information acquisition unit 37 acquires theoperation screen information registered for user A from at least one ofthe multiple electronic apparatuses based on the login information. Theinformation acquisition unit 37 can choose the electronic apparatus byusing the preset apparatus information and acquire the operation screeninformation. If the number of sets of apparatus information is one, theinformation acquisition unit 37 acquires the operation screeninformation from the one electronic apparatus. If the number of sets ofapparatus information is more than two, the information acquisition unit37 acquires the operation screen information from those more than twoelectronic apparatuses.

Instead of selecting the electronic apparatus based on the presetapparatus information, after inquiring of each of multiple electronicapparatuses connected to the network 10, it is possible to acquire theoperation screen information registered for user A from the electronicapparatus that stores the information. Here, more than two electronicapparatuses can store the operation screen information registered foruser A. In this case, if the operation screen information is the same,it is possible to select one set of information and acquire it.Otherwise, after the operation screen information determining unit 42described above determines which operation screen information is to beused, the information acquisition unit 37 can perform the acquisitionbased on the determined operation screen information.

If the operation screen information is not the same, then sinceregistration time/date and updated time/date are also associated andstored as attribute information along with user names, it is possible toselect the electronic apparatus that stores the latest operation screeninformation and acquire the latest operation screen information from theselected electronic apparatus. Otherwise, after the operation screeninformation determining unit 42 determines which operation screeninformation is to be used based on the registered time/date or updatedtime/date, the information acquisition unit 37 can acquire the operationscreen information based on the determined operation screen information.

After acquiring the operation screen information, the informationacquisition unit 37 returns the operation screen information to theshared screen display unit 30 to have the shared screen display unit 30display the operation screen based on the acquired operation screeninformation. The shared screen display unit 30 displays the sharedoperation screen for user A based on the operation screen information.When the shared screen display unit 30 displays the shared operationscreen, the shared screen display unit 30 notifies the input receptionunit 31 of display of the shared operation screen. After user A performsinputting on the displayed shared operation screen, the input receptionunit 31 sends the input to the job execution unit 32, and the jobexecution unit 32 executes a job based on the input.

The event detection unit 33 detects a predetermined event occurring inthe apparatus as an error. Subsequently, the job execution unit 32 stopsexecuting the job temporarily, and the event detection unit 33 notifiesthe display determination unit 34 of detecting the error and the type oferror. An example of a type of error is a paper jam. After receiving thenotification of detecting the error, the display determination unit 34determines whether it commands to display the shared operation screen orthe screen specific to the model based on type of error.

If the display determination unit 34 determines that it commands todisplay the screen specific to the model, the display determination unit34 sends a command to the specific screen display unit 35, and thespecific screen display unit 35 changes the shared operation screen intothe screen specific to the model. Also, the display determination unit34 commands the shared screen display unit 30 not to display the sharedoperation screen.

User A recognizes that the error has occurred by browsing the screendisplayed by the specific screen display unit 35, and can resolve theerror as instructed by the displayed error message. In this case, sincethe error is a paper jam, user A gets rid of the jammed paper afteropening the cover.

After getting rid of the jammed paper, user A presses the OK button,etc., and the input reception unit 31 accepts that the error has beenresolved. Either the input reception unit 31 can notify the displaydetermination unit 34 of resolving the error directly, or the inputreception unit 31 can notify the display determination unit 34 ofresolving the error via the job execution unit 32 and the event detector33.

After receiving the notification of resolving the error, the displaydetermination unit 34 determines that the shared operation screen is tobe displayed since it is unnecessary to display information specific tothe model. After receiving the determination, the specific screendisplay unit 35 commands not to display the screen specific to the modeldisplayed meanwhile, and the shared screen display unit 30 changes thescreen specific to the model into the shared operation screen.

The job execution unit 32 resumes executing the job that has beenstopped. For example, the job execution unit 32 can resume executing thejob after receiving notification of resolving the error from the inputreception unit 31. Alternatively, the job execution unit 32 can resumeexecuting the job after the shared screen display unit 30 changes intothe shared operation screen. To display the executing status of the jobappropriately, it is preferable to resume executing the job afterchanging into the shared operation screen.

When the resumed job ends, the job execution unit 32 notifies the inputreception unit 31 of finishing the job and has the message of finishingthe job displayed. User A can recognize that the job has ended bybrowsing this notification.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in the case not ofan error occurring but of user A stopping the job during execution ofthe job. The process shown in FIG. 15 is generally the same as theprocess shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B. However, after the job executionunit 32 starts the job, user A inputs a command to stop the job atarbitrary timing. The input reception unit 31 accepts the inputinformation on stopping the job and sends it to the job execution unit32. After receiving the information, the job execution unit 32 stops thejob.

After the job execution unit 32 stops the job, the event detector 33detects the stop as the predetermined event. Subsequently, the eventdetector 33 notifies the display determination unit 34 of detecting thestopping of the job. After receiving the notification, the displaydetermination unit 34 determines that the screen specific to the modelis to be displayed.

In case of determining that the screen specific to the model is to bedisplayed, the display determination unit 34 commands the specificscreen display unit 35 to do that, and the specific screen display unit35 changes the shared operation screen into the screen specific to themodel. Also, the display determination unit 34 commands the sharedscreen display unit 30 not to display the shared operation screen.

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process of determiningwhich information is to be selected in case multiple electronicapparatuses store the operation screen information for user A. Ifapparatuses A, B, and C are configured as the predetermined apparatusinformation, the information acquisition unit 37 sends a request toacquire the operation screen information to each of apparatuses A, B,and C and acquires the operation screen information.

The information acquisition unit 37 determines which registeredtime/date or updated time/date attached to the operation screeninformation is the latest and selects the latest operation screeninformation as the operation screen information to be acquired.

As described above, it is possible to specify the target from which theoperation screen information is to be acquired by presetting theapparatus information. In particular, by presetting the self-owned PCand the shared server 15 shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to specify thePC or the shared server 15 and acquire the operation screen information.If the self-owned PC is set as the apparatus information, it is alwayspossible to acquire the latest operation screen information by havingthe self-owned PC logged in.

Also, it is possible to display the shared operation screen at theuser's own convenience by presetting criteria for changing screens.Furthermore, it is possible to keep displaying the shared operationscreen in case special guidance is unnecessary. Since the informationregistration unit 38 can store and register information in a specifieddestination, it is possible to register information in the self-owned PCand other apparatuses such as MFPs and shared servers as backup.

Consequently, the screen specific to the model that includes informationspecific to the model is displayed in case of error, etc. Otherwise, itis possible to use the shared operation screen. Therefore, it ispossible to use any apparatus at the same degree of usability.

A network system is comprised of multiple electronic apparatusesconnected to a network. Accordingly, it can adopt the configurationshown in FIG. 17 other than the configuration shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 17is a diagram illustrating another configuration of a network systemcomprised of multiple electronic apparatuses connected to the network.In this configuration, as multiple electronic apparatuses, three MFPs11, 12, and 13 and a server 16 as information processing apparatuses areconnected to the network 10. At least one of the MFPs 11, 12, and 13 isa different model of MFP from any of the others. The MFPs 11, 12, and 13are described above and thus a description of their configurations andfunctions is omitted here.

The server 16 has the hardware configuration as shown in FIG. 2 andstores and holds the operation screen information described above. TheMFPs 11, 12, and 13 do not store the operation screen information butstore the apparatus information of the server 16 designated as theregistering destination of the operation screen information. Examples ofthe apparatus information are apparatus identification information suchas apparatus name, IP address, and MAC address of the server 16.Consequently, if the shared operation screen is displayed on either ofthe MFPs 11, 12, or 13, either of the MFPs 11, 12, or 13 acquires theoperation screen information from the server 16 designated as thespecified electronic apparatus and displays the shared operation screen.If the operation screen information is registered, it is registered inthe server 16.

In this system configuration, a display control method performed by theelectronic apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG. 18.

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process thatregisters operation screen information for each user. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 13, each of apparatuses A, B, and C store the operationscreen information, and each of apparatuses A, B, and C report finishingstoring separately. However, in this embodiment, an information storageunit 40 d included in the server 16 stores the operation screeninformation, and the server 16 reports finishing storing. Since theserver 16 stores the operation screen information, the operation screeninformation stored in the server 16 is always the latest. Therefore,information of last updated date/time as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 isunnecessary since it is unnecessary to determine which operation screeninformation is the latest. Consequently, in this embodiment, it isunnecessary to include information of last updated date/time in theoperation screen information.

After starting the job, the process performed in case an error occurringduring the job is the same as the process shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B.However, in this embodiment, the information storage unit is implementedin the server 16. The process performed in case of stopping the job byuser A during the job is the same as the process shown in FIG. 15instead of implementing the information storage unit in the server 16.

As described above, by adopting the configuration that the server 16includes the information storage unit 40 d and is designated as thestorage destination of the operation screen information, the latestoperation screen information can be stored instead of using the storagedevice included in the MFPs 11, 12, and 13. Also, by designating theserver 16 as the acquisition source, it is always possible to acquirethe latest operation screen information from the server 16 in casecommunication with the server 16 is established.

Although only one server 16 is shown in FIG. 16, multiple servers can beconnected to the network 10, and it is possible to designate one serveras the acquisition source and acquire the operation screen informationfrom the server. It is possible that the server specified for a usereither stores the operation screen information for the user or inquiriesof another server and acquires the operation screen information from theserver. While three MFPs 11, 12, and 13 are shown in FIG. 17, it ispossible that one, two, or more than four MFPs are included.

In addition, since the server 16 is one of the multiple electronicapparatuses, in case the server 16 includes a display unit, it ispossible to display the operation screen information on the displayunit.

With the present invention, the shared operation screen can be displayedon different models of electronic apparatuses.

Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, withinthe scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of this patentspecification may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

As can be appreciated by those skilled in the computer arts, thisinvention may be implemented as convenient using a conventionalgeneral-purpose digital computer programmed according to the teachingsof the present specification. Appropriate software coding can readily beprepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the presentdisclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the software arts.The present invention may also be implemented by the preparation ofapplication-specific integrated circuits or by interconnecting anappropriate network of conventional component circuits, as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the relevant art.

In one example, the present invention may reside in an electronicapparatus connectable to an information processing apparatus via anetwork. The electronic apparatus includes a first informationacquisition unit that acquires, from the information processingapparatus, operation screen information stored in the informationprocessing apparatus, a shared screen display unit that displays ashared operation screen shared between the electronic apparatus andanother electronic apparatus of a different model from the electronicapparatus on a display unit based on the operation screen informationacquired by the information acquisition unit, a job execution unit thatexecutes a job based on input to the shared operation screen displayedon the display unit by the shared screen display unit, an event detectorthat detects a predetermined event that occurs during the job execution,a display determination unit that determines whether or not a specificscreen including information specific to the electronic apparatus modelneeds to be displayed in response to the predetermined event detected bythe event detector, and a specific screen display unit that changes thedisplay of the display unit from the shared operation screen to thespecific screen when the display determination unit determines that thespecific screen needs to be displayed.

In one example, the present invention may reside in a network system,which includes the electronic apparatus, and the other electronicapparatus having the model different from the model of the electronicapparatus.

In one example, a method of controlling display, performed by theelectronic apparatus connectable to the information processing apparatusvia the network, includes the steps of acquiring, from the informationprocessing apparatus, operation screen information stored in theinformation processing apparatus, displaying a shared operation screenshared between the electronic apparatus and another electronic apparatusof a different model from the electronic apparatus on a display based onthe operation screen information, executing a job based on input to theshared operation screen displayed on the display, detecting apredetermined event that occurs during the job execution, determiningwhether or not a specific screen including information specific to theelectronic apparatus model needs to be displayed in response to thepredetermined event, and changing the display of the display from theshared operation screen to the specific screen when the determining stepdetermines that the specific screen needs to be displayed.

In one example, the present invention may reside in a non-transitoryrecording medium storing a plurality of instructions which, whenexecuted by a processor, cause the processor to perform any one of theabove-described display control methods.

1. (canceled)
 2. An electronic apparatus, comprising: a networkinterface; a display; and processing circuitry configured to send arequest to an information processing apparatus through the networkinterface, receive operation screen data from the information processingapparatus, the operation screen data being sent in response to therequest, display an operation screen on the display based on thereceived operation screen data, the operation screen being sharedbetween the electronic apparatus and another electronic apparatus of adifferent model from the electronic apparatus, conduct a job based on auser operation input via the operation screen displayed on the display,in response to detecting an error, display, on the display, a specificscreen that includes error information specific to a model of theelectronic apparatus.
 3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the processing circuitry displays the specific screen bychanging a displayed screen on the display from the operation screen tothe specific screen.
 4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the processing circuitry displays, in response to releasing theerror, the operation screen from the specific screen on the display. 5.The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processingcircuitry displays the operation screen by changing a displayed screenon the display from the specific screen to the operation screen.
 6. Amethod, comprising: sending a request to an information processingapparatus through a network interface, receiving operation screen datafrom the information processing apparatus, the operation screen databeing sent in response to the request, displaying an operation screen ona display based on the received operation screen data, the operationscreen being shared between an electronic apparatus and anotherelectronic apparatus of a different model from the electronic apparatus,conducting a job based on a user operation input via the operationscreen displayed on the display, in response to detecting an error,displaying, on the display, a specific screen that includes errorinformation specific to a model of the electronic apparatus.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the step of displaying the specific screenincludes changing a displayed screen on the display from the operationscreen to the specific screen.
 8. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising displaying, in response to releasing the error, the operationscreen from the specific screen on the display.
 9. The method of claim8, wherein the step of displaying the operation screen includes changinga displayed screen on the display from the specific screen to theoperation screen.